At his speech in Westminster this morning, Grant Shapps was quick to point out that he had not driven the 400m from CCHQ to the Institute of Directors in “a government car”, nor was he willing to get drawn “into commenting on individual’s car use”.

Andrew Mitchell, for example, refused a car when he was in the same job. Both Gove’s people and the Cabinet Office are kicking back hard at the Mirror’s splash today, claiming that the car was carrying important government papers for the Chief Whip. Gove is holding a folder in the footage, but there does not seem to be any sign of his red box – in which official documents are kept – neither when Gove got in nor out of the car.